This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
A throttle body is commonly used in an air intake system of an internal combustion engine to control the amount of airflow to the engine in response to driver activation of an accelerator pedal. A throttle blade is mounted within the throttle body that regulates the airflow. The accelerator pedal motion can be transmitted via a cable to a linkage that moves the throttle blade. In electronic throttle control systems, an electric motor can be used to control a throttle linkage and is responsive to a throttle pedal position sensor. An engine control unit determines the throttle opening based on accelerator pedal position and inputs from other engine sensors and provides a control signal to the electric motor to control the position of the throttle blade.
The throttle body can generally include an air passage opening for receiving the throttle blade and a shaft for pivotally supporting the throttle blade. The throttle body can also provide a structure for supporting a gearcover with electric connector and an electric motor for actuating the throttle blade. A spigot extends from the air passage opening and provides a connection between the throttle body and an intake manifold or intake runner.
In throttle body design, several variants of spigots can be tested during the development of a new air system. Currently, throttle bodies are made utilizing a specific casting for each design variant. Accordingly, each design variant of a throttle body requires a specific casting. Therefore, each design variant comes at a high cost with a long lead time for each casting preparation. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved method of making a throttle body for prototyping.